Monday, 15 August 2011

Ditch celebrity tweets...but what about sport?

He writes: "David Cameron is reportedly considering whether social media such as Twitter should be shut down during riots. I should like to propose that newspapers stop quoting the usually shallow tweets of well-known people. Last week yielded a rich crop of idiocies reverentially published by newspapers, including this one.

"Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker, tweeted: "While I condemn riots, I do agree that there are underlying causes." The woman is a genius! Footballer Joey Barton brilliantly opined that "violence always comes from a place of misunderstanding and low zero self-worth" while a visionary Stephen Fry pronounced that "greed and looting most hurts the small shops and businesses who can least afford it".

"Wayne Rooney was also vocal on the riots, having earlier in the week self-interestedly tweeted that Manchester United's victory over Manchester City was a "footballing lesson".

"Why do newspapers reproduce this stuff? Partly because they think they have their finger on the zeitgeist, and partly because they like to publish what celebrities are thinking, even if it is utterly mundane and self-serving. We are in danger of becoming mere handmaidens to the rich and famous."

Samir Nasri hits out at 'disrespectful fans'. "Nasri, who is suspended for tomorrow night's Champions League play-off first leg against Udinese at Emirates Stadium, used his Twitter account to hit back. He wrote: "I heard what the fans were singing about me on Saturday and it is really disrespectful because I'm still a (sic) arsenal player."

About Me

I am a freelance journalist based in the UK and was deputy editor of Press Gazette, the journalists' magazine, from 1993 until 2006. I want to give an independent view on media matters.
You can contact me with stories, ideas and comments by email at jon.slattery369@btinternet.com You can also follow me on Twitter @jonslattery